New car market down in June, up in the second quarter

NFDA 05/07/2018

“Despite June’s decline, it was encouraging to see that in the second quarter the new car market was 2.3% higher than last year”, said Sue Robinson, Director of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle dealers in the UK, commenting on the latest SMMT’s new passenger car registrations figures.

New passenger car registrations declined by -3.5% in the UK in June. In the first six months of the year, the new car market is -6.3% down, while it performed better in Q2, up 2.3%. Alternative fuel vehicles continued to grow, up 45.0% in June and 24.2% in the first half of the year with 72,847 vehicles registered. Diesel saw a decline of -28.2%, while petrol grew by -12.3%. Private demand was flat at -0.6%, while business saw an encouraging increase of 11.3%.

Robinson continued, “The new car market remains relatively buoyant and, to ensure continued stability, it is important that consumers are provided with clear facts and information to enable them to select the car that best suits their needs.

“Summer is usually a quiet period for new car registrations and, this year, thanks to a number of different factors, consumers have a clear opportunity to find very attractive deals on the market.

“This week’s news that the Government welcomed £130 million of foreign direct investment into the UK automotive industry demonstrates the confidence in the strength of our sector. Going forward, we expect the market to continue to perform at these levels.”

notes to editors

About the RMI

The Retail Motor Industry represents the interests of operators in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man providing sales and services to motorists and businesses. The RMI has a formal association with the independent Scottish Motor Trade Association which represents the retail motor industry in Scotland.